Did You Receive a “Push Present?”

There are a lot of things you find out about pregnancy, after becoming pregnant and the “push present” was definitely one thing I had never heard of before.

The “push present” is a gift the new father gives a new mother when she gives birth to their child. The present can be given before or after birth and these gifts have become increasingly popular in the United States in the recent years.

According to Wikipedia, the term “push present” first appeared in publication in 1992 and in the mid-2000’s, the jewelry companies began campaigning to expecting fathers.

According to Linda Murray, the executive editor of BabyCenter.com,

“It’s more and more an expectation of moms these days that they deserve something for bearing the burden for nine months, getting sick, ruining their body. The guilt really gets piled on.”

My question is, should a gift really be expected by the mom-to-be?

“A 2007 survey of over 30,000 respondents by BabyCenter.com found that 38% of new mothers received a push present, and 55% of pregnant mothers wanted one, though fewer thought it was actually expected. About 40% of both groups said the baby itself was already a present and did not wish an additional reward.”

I definitely do not feel that a gift should be expected and I also think that the miracle of birth is the greatest gift one can ever receive.

I was watching a rerun of the Real Housewives of Orange County last week and one of the housewives received a Bentley as her push present. Someone else received a very expensive diamond ring. It seems like jewelery is definitely the front runner for push presents.

Yesterday, my loving husband came home with a surprise. He told me to close my eyes and hold out my hands. I was totally not expecting anything. He placed in my hands an iPhone 4 with a pink case and told me this was my “push present!”

I was definitely taken by surprise and of course I loved it! Now, that we both have an iPhone 4, we can use “face time” so he will be able to see the girls when he is not at home. We will also be able to do the same thing with many family members, who live far away, using face time or skype.

How do you feel about “push presents?” Did you receive one when you delivered?